Needle-feeling mechanism for looms



March 4, 19249 1,485,820

7 J. TARANTQ NEEDLE FEELING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Jan'. 13. 1923 1 Fig.1. 1

H8 35 B7 I AS lnv'enTpr- John TarunTo byzowwkw ATTys.

Patented Mar. 1, 192 1..

insane en rant series.

JOHN TARJFNTO, 0F WAL'IHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 DRAPER CORPORA- TION, OF HOIPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

NEEDLE-FEELING MECHANISM FOR LO OMS.

Application filed. January 13, 1923. Serial No. 612,443.

To all 1071 am it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN TARANro, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of l' i altham, county of Middlesex, State of lvlassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Needle-Feeling lVlecha-nism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in feeler mechanism for looms having a reciprocating or vibrating actuator adapted when restrained to effect a. change in the operation of the loom.

More specifically the invention relates to improvements upon the general type of :t'eeler illustrated in my prior Patent No. 1,369,990, granted March 1, 1921, and in the patents to E. H. Ryon No. 933,492, granted September 7, 1909, No. 972,722, granted October 11, 1910, and No. 989,429, granted April 11, 1911. i

The object of the present invention is to provide feelers of the general type disclosed in the patents aforesaid with a mechanism having a needle adapted to penetrate the filling upon the filling carrier upon the beatup of the lay until substantial exhaustion is reached, whereupon the needle mechanism is moved relatively to the feeling end of the feeler and caused to actuate suitable mechanism which will restrain the reciprocating or vibrating movementof the actuator and thereby effect a change in the operation of the loom. By providing a needle feeler of this character practically all of the filling can be wound off of the filling carrier before transfer is effected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a needle feeler of the character described having a needle support mounted upon the feeler in such a manner that itcan be readily assembled upon or removed from the feeler.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a needle support of the character described from which the needle can be readily removed. V

A further object of. the invention is to provide a feeler of the character described with a pivotally mounted laterally swinging lever having an arm normally extending in the direction of movement of the feeler in operative relation to'the actuatorrestraining mechanism and controlled by the relative movement of the needle support and feeler when caused by engagement of the needle with the filling carrier upon substantial exhaustion of the filling to effect a change in the operation of the loom.

These and other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a feeler mechanism embodying the invention, the frame upon which it is supported being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, the reciprocating or vibrating actuator for initiating a change in the operation of the loom being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the teeler mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the end portion of the feeler, showing the needle support removably mounted therein and provided with a detachable needle extending through the feeling end of the feeler; and,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 55 Fig. 4 illustrating the form of the co operating guide and guideways of the feeler and the needle support.

The feeler mechanism which is illustrated in the drawing comprises the usual bracket 1 which is adapted to be mounted upon the end of the loom "frame and is provided with upwardly extending branches 2 and 3, the branch 3 having an upward extension 4 provided with a vertical slot forming a guideway for the reciprocating or vibrating actuator 6, such as is illustrated in the aforesaid patents, and which operates when restrained to effect a change in the operation or" the loom. The extension 4 of the branch 3 is provided with a transverse aperture 7 which forms a guideway for an actuator-engaging member, preferably in the form of a rod 8, the end of which may be reciprocated across the path of the actuator in such a manner as to restrain the movement there of and effect a change in the operation of the loom.

The actuator-engaging rod is pivotally connected at its opposite end to the upper bifurated end of an arm 9 of a rock shaft 10. which is pivotally mounted in bosses 11 i ,eeaeeo end of the needle 39 extends, but does not cross so that a wedge-shaped tool forced into the aperture 42 will displace the needle and enable it readily to be withdrawn.

The base portion of the needle support 40 desirably is of substantially the same thickness as the feeler 18 and is provided with guideway's 43 which engage complementary guides 44 upon the walls of a slot 45 in the end portion of the feeler. This slot in the i feeler desirably is closed at its ends and is conveniently formed by boring holes through the feeler at suitable distances apart and milling away the stock between the holes to provide the slot 45 and also to form the guides 44 in the walls of the slot. In order to permit the needle support to be assembled upon and removed from the feeler, the guides 44 terminate at a suflicient distance from one end of the slot to permit the base of the supportt o be introduced into the slot upwardly extending,

and then moved lengthwise of the slot to cause the guideways of the support to engage the guides upon the feeler.

The feeler support is provided with an preferably integral,

' standard 46 having a lateral extension'47 which is positioned to engage the'head 37 of the screw which is adjustably mounted in the arm 34 of the bell crank lever. A spring 48, connected at one end to the stud 35 upon which the bell crank lever is mounted, and "at its other end to a lug 49 extending downwardly from theneed-le support 40, serves tomaintain the extension 47 of the standard of the needle support constantly in engagement with the head 37 of the screw upon the bell crank lever. I

Resilient means, such as a spring 50, connected to the feeler and to the arm 33 of the bell crank lever which is mounted upon the feeler, serves normally to maintain the arm 33 of the feeler in substantial parallelism with the direction of movement of the feeler so that the end of the arm 33 is normally in Y the position to engage the lateral extension 17 of the arm 16 of the rock shaft'lO and upon reciprocation of the feeler oscillates the rock shaft against the action of the spring 13 and removes the actuator-restraining member 8 from the path of the reciproeating or vibrating actuator 6, so that no change in the operation of the loom will be effected by the normalreciprooation of'the feeler. In the operation of the device the feeling end 19 of the feeler is engaged by the filling upon the filling carrier in the shuttle upon 1 v V a-yieldable feeler to engage the filling upon each beat-up of the lay and so long as there is a sufficient amount of filling upon the filling carrier'the wedge-shaped end of the needle support and the feeler.

the end of the arni 33 of the bell crank lever will be caused to engage the extension 17 of the arm 16 of the rock shaft 10 and remove the rod 8 from the path of the actuator.

When, however, the filling upon the filling carrier is substantially exhausted the penetrating end of the needle 39 will engage the filling carrier itself and will be forced backwardly thereby, thus moving the needle carrier support and causing the extension 47 of the standard 46 of the needle carrier to press upon the head 37 of the screw in the arm 34 of the bell crank lever thereby rocking said bell crank lever laterally about its pivot and swinging the end of said lever out of operative relation to the extension 17 of the arm 16 of the rock shaft 10, so that when the feeler is reciprocated by its engagement with the filling carrier the rock shaft 10 will not be rotated and the actuator-restraining member 8 will remain in the path of the actuator 6 thereby restraining its movement and initiating a change in the operation of the loom.

By reason of the fact that a slight relative'movement between the needle support and the feeler serves to actuate the bell crank lever, transfer will not be called for until a very small amount of filling remains upon the filling carrier, thus producing a considerable saving in filling and enabling the bobbin to be more easily stripped of whatever filling remains upon'it.

By reason of the easy removal and replacement of the needle and needle support the feeling mechanism can be readily maintained in a condition of maximum efficiency.

While the feeling mechanism isillustrated in the accompanying drawings as normally acting to reciprocate the actuator-restraining mechanism, substantially the same mechanism can be readily applied to the construction 3 illustrated in my prior Patent No.

1,369,990 in which the actuator-restraining the'filling carrier-in the shuttle upon-the beat-u p of the lay,'a needle support mounted on'said feeler having-a needle normally projecting beyond the filling engaging end of the feeler; to penetrate-the filling on the filling carrier, 'a bellcrank lever pivotally' mounted upon said leeler having one arm extending longitudinally of said feeler, re-

'upon the filling carrier in the shuttle upon the beat-up ofthe lay, a need-1e support slidably mounted in ways in said iteelerhaving aneedle normally projecting beyond the filling-engaging end -o1 said teeler to penetrate the filling on the filling carrier, a bellcrank lever pivotally mounted on said feeler to swing laterally in a horizontal plane and having an arm normally extending in the direction of reciprocation of said teeler and another arm extending in angular relation thereto having an adjusting screw engaging said needle support, resilient means acting upon said needle support to cause constant engagement of said needlesupport with said adjusting screw whereby the adjustment of said screw will efiectively determine the distance said needle projects beyond the end of said feeler and relative movement between said needle support and feeler, caused by engagement of the needle with the filling on the filling carrier upon substantial exhaustion of filling, will swing said lever laterally without lost motion and means controlled by the lateral swinging movement of said lever to effect a change in the operation of the loom.

3. Feeler mechanism for looms comprising a yieldable teeler to engage the filling upon the filling carrier in the shuttle upon the beat-up of the lay, a needle support removably mounted in ways in said :Eeeler, a needle detachably secured to said needle support and extending through the fillingengaging end of said teeler and mechanism operable by relative movement between said needle support and teeler caused by the engagement of said needle with said filling carrier upon substantial exhaustion of filling to effect a change'in the operation of the loom.

4. F eeler mechanism for looms comprising a yieldable feeler having a recess therethrough adjacent its feeling end provided with parallel walls having guides extending in the direction of the line of movement of said feeler, a needle support slidably mounted in said recess having ways complementary to said guides, a needle carried by said needle support extending through the feelinsasac ing end of said teeler to penetrate the tilt ing on the filling carrier and means operthrough adjacent its feeling end provided with parallel walls having guides extending in the direction of the line of movement of said teeler and terminating at a distance from one end of said recess, a needle support slidably mounted in said recess having ways complementary to the guides in the walls of said recess, but ogt such length as to permit {the introduction and removal of the needle-supporting ways between the end of the guides and the end of the recess, a needle .carriedby said needle support extending through the feeling end of said teeler to penetrate the filling upon the filling carrier and means operable by relative movement between said' needle support and teeler, caused by the engagement of the needle with the filling carrier, to efi'ect a change in :the operation of the loom.

i6. Eeeler mechanism for looms, having a reciprocating actuator operating when restrained to initiate the action of means for effecting .a change in the voperation of the loom, comprising a springeoperated. actuator restraining mechanism having means tending normally to engage and arrest said actuator, a yieldable :Eeeler having a feeling end to engage the filling on the filling carrier upon the beat-up of the lay, a laterally swinging lever pivotally mounted on said feeler, resilient means normally acting to hold one armof said lever in substantial parallelism with the direction of movement of said teel-er and normally acting upon reciprocation of said feeler to withdraw said restraining member from engaging relation to said actuator, a needle support s-lidably mounted on said fee'ler having a needle projecting beyond the feeling end of said feeler to penetrate the filling on the filling carrier and provided with means to engage and swing said lever laterally upon relative movement between said needle support and feeler upon engagement of the needle with the filling carrier, thereby acting :to remove said lever from operative relation to said actuator-restraining mechanism, whereby the actuator will be restrained and a change in the operation of the loom eltected.

7 Feeler mechanism for "looms, having a reciprocating actuator adapted when restrained -to initiate the action of means for effecting a change in the operation of the loom, comprising a feeler stand, a rock shaft mounted therein having an arm connected to an actuator-restraining member messes re'ciprocable across the path of the actuator, resilient means normally tending to hold said actuator-restraining member in the path of the actuator, a feeler yieldably mounted in said stand, to engage the filling upon the filling carrier in the shuttle upon the beat-up of the lay, a needle support reciprocably mounted in said feeler havin a needle normally projecting beyond the tilling-engaging end of said feeler to penetrate the filling on the filling carrier, a laterally movable lever pivotally mounted on said feeler having an arm normally extending substantially in parallelism with said feeler and extending beyond the end thereof, an arm on said rock shaft located in the path of the end of said lever and operated upon reciprocation of said feeler to withdraw said actuator-restraining member from the path of said actuator, means on said lever engaging said needle support acting upon relative movement between said needle support and feeler, caused by engagement of said needle with the filling carrier, to swing said lever laterally and remove the end thereof from engaging relation with said rock shaft arm, whereby upon detection-o1 substantial exhaustion of filling said actuator-restraining member will be permitted to remain in the path of the actuator and thereby effect a change in the operation of the loom.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

' JOHN TARANTO. 

